15 June 2009

My biggest concern is overfishing, which precedes all other human disturbances to marine ecosystems, including pollution, degradation of water quality, and anthropogenic climate change. But when we talk about overfishing, we are really talking about overeating. Almost all ocean fishing exists to feed humans or something we eat (such as farmed fish). Of all the flesh consumed - chicken, beef, pork, mutton, and seafood - the latter accounts for the greatest amount eaten globally. In fact, fish is one of the last wild foods most people eat with any regularity. The human appetite, a combination of population growth and demand for fish, is at the root of the global fisheries crisis. It’s time to go on a global diet.